


A Very Merry Christmas

by bellacatbee



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Dean, Alpha Michael, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Domestic, Family Dynamics, M/M, Marking, Mpreg, Omega Adam Milligan, Omega Castiel, Omega Verse, Post Mpreg, Scenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-19
Updated: 2014-12-19
Packaged: 2018-03-02 06:30:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2802872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellacatbee/pseuds/bellacatbee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean is Christmas shopping when he meets the Omega of his dreams.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Very Merry Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 12 days of Destiel on tumblr. Thank you for my beta for getting it back to me so quickly!

This was the third store Dean had been in that played “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” on the radio, and it was his least favorite rendition yet. 

The singers were bored - he could hear it in their voices. There was no Christmas cheer. It was a tinny, emotionless, flat-voiced recording being played in a store that was too cheap to pay for a decent version of holiday classics. 

It’s not as if the original was even _that_ good. It’s just one hundred times better than what was being piped out by the store’s sound system. 

Dean wasn’t a happy shopper at the best of times, but he was even worse during Christmas. 

There used to be a time when he shopped on Christmas Eve, simply grabbing whatever was left from whatever store was open. That was all that constituted his Christmas shopping.

Not this year though. 

Oh no. Eleven months ago, his stupid little brother Adam met some big-wig Alpha at a benefit bash for the hospital that he was interning at. Eleven months ago, all rationality went out the window and Adam came home with a big bite mark on his neck and said he was moving in with said big-wig. And nine months ago, those two idiots announced they were going to have a baby. 

A baby who was beautiful, and tiny, and who fit so snugly into the crook of Dean’s arm that Dean couldn’t even be mad. He could never be mad when he was holding that little pup. 

But he was mad. He was mad at Adam, who’d always said he wasn’t ruled by his biology, who’d made it so far despite all the odds, yet bared his neck to the first Alpha he met. And he was mad at Michael, Adam’s Alpha, for being exactly the kind of jerkass Dean had never wanted to be related to. 

Dean couldn’t shake the feeling that it had been Michael who’d pushed the mating along. They could have waited. Adam could have finished his internship. Michael didn’t have to put his mark on him the very night they met, and he certainly didn’t need to be so careless and get Adam pregnant. 

Adam said none of it mattered. He said the moment he caught Michael’s scent, he didn’t care about anything besides being with him. 

That really stuck in Dean’s throat. 

He’d given up on the idea of true mates a long time ago. Lots of his friends were happy and paired off, but they’d all taken things slowly. None of them had come home, looking like they were drunk on love, announcing they were moving in with a total stranger. Adam had behaved like an idiot. He’d gotten himself mated to a man twice his age; some stiff-shirted lawyer who was always correcting Dean’s grammar and who had a pedigree as long as Dean’s arm. It wasn’t so long ago that Michael’s family would have paired him off based on lineage and money. They wouldn’t have cared about scents or true mates, so Dean had a hard time believing that Michael really did now. 

Adam had a pup. There was a tiny little life that he was responsible for, and Dean had no reason to believe that the father wouldn’t drop both Adam and the pup if a better offer came along. Bad Alphas did it all the time and Dean didn’t know Michael well enough to believe that he was an exception. 

Adam should have waited, he should have gotten to know Michael better before getting pregnant. That was all Dean wanted, for Adam to be settled and sure about his Alpha before he had a pup.

But Adam hadn’t waited. His pup was here now and she was the reason Dean was out Christmas shopping, forcing his way through crowds of tired, grouchy, overheated people. Because Adam had sent him a Christmas list with presents for the pup for her first Christmas. 

She was less than a month old, she wouldn’t remember her first Christmas, but Dean’s heart had melted a bit when he read through the list and thought about getting her the giant cuddly bunny Adam had mentioned or the little onesie with Christmas trees on it. 

Whatever else happened, Dean was going to bag the spot as ‘number one uncle’ in that little pup’s life. 

Adam had let it slip that Michael came from a big family with several brothers and sisters, not to mention a multitude of cousins and half-cousins. If Dean just had to contend with Sam, that would have been okay. Sam would probably have gone with some nerd present, like a bound copy of the complete works of Shakespeare that would impress Michael and Adam, but wouldn’t mean anything to the baby. Dean could have easily won the present war against Sam, but he had Michael’s brothers and sisters to deal with and he had no doubt they had a hell of a lot more disposable income than he had. 

So Dean had decided he was going to buy everything on Adam’s present list.

Let them buy little silver spoons or whatever rich people bought as gifts for babies. Dean was going to come ladened with thoughtful, but affordable gifts that the pup would actually want. 

He’d get her that onsie, and the stuffed bunny, and the building blocks that weren’t right for her just yet but would be there for her when she was a little older. He’d get her all that stuff. 

Which was why he was in a store playing horrible music, searching for primary colored building blocks. They had to be primary colors. Adam had been specific about that. It was something to do with development and learning colors. Dean didn’t get why that was so important, but he knew little kids liked bright colors, so primary colored blocks it was. 

And that was when he smelled _him_.

Dean didn’t even know what he was smelling at first. It was the most disorienting, delicious scent he’d ever smelled. Like fresh-baked pie crust, with hints of cinnamon and something that was so fresh, like the scent of grass after a storm, that it knocked Dean for a loop.

He looked around, trying desperately to place the source of that intoxicating scent, which was when he saw him, the most beautiful Omega ever, over by a display of bright, primary-colored blocks.

It was like a sign. 

The Omega was probably in his late thirties. It wasn’t usual for Omegas to still be unmated past the age of thirty, and Dean found himself looking for a mating mark where one usually was, high on the neck, but there was nothing there. 

If there had been a mark, Dean would have backed off. It would have broken his heart, but he would have respected that his mate already had someone. He loved the guy already, loved him from the second he scented him. He knew he couldn’t mess up the guy’s life. The Omega hadn’t caught Dean’s scent yet, he was still engrossed with the wooden blocks. Dean could have left before the guy even knew he was there. Both their lives would have just gone on as normal, although Dean knew that he would have always felt like part of him was missing.

Now Dean knew he didn’t have to go on as normal. His life would be completely changed. He would have a mate. A true mate. Someone who would love him, just as he loved them, completely and utterly from the second they laid eyes on him.

Dean took a few hesitant steps towards the Omega.

He tried to think about the first words he’d say to his Omega. They had to matter. These would be the words that would woo his Omega, the words that would be repeated time over when they told this story to their friends and family, to their children and their grandchildren. They had to matter.

He got a little closer, until he was standing just beside the man, and cleared his throat.

The Omega turned, their eyes locked, and Dean forget every cool, charming thing that had been in his head.

“Uh...so, red huh?” he said, point at the wooden block the Omega was holding in his hands. “That’s a great color.”

The Omega breathed in deeply. His eyes - beautiful and blue - widened. His cheeks flushed pink, but he didn’t break eye contact or bow his head, didn’t display any submissive Omega behaviour. He only smiled. 

“Yes, it’s a good color,” he agreed. “It’s for my niece. She’s a little young, but I think she’ll appreciate them.” 

“Oh, cool. I’m shopping for my niece too. I’m Dean.”

“Castiel.” 

The Omega offered his hand for Dean to shake, but Dean still wasn’t thinking straight. He was still bewitched by those eyes. He took hold of the Omega’s hand, feeling the softness of his fingers. They weren't calloused like Dean’s hands. These hands hadn’t done hard work. The fingers were long, elegant, and Dean wanted to stand there in the toy store, holding hands with his Omega, for as long he could. He could still be there when the store closed, he didn’t care. He just never wanted to let go of the other man’s hand. 

“You’re not what I imagined, but I didn’t really know what to imagine,” Castiel said. “I’d stopped looking for you.”

“I didn’t think you existed,” Dean said, a little sheepishly. How he could ever have doubted that true mates existed, he didn’t know. Standing here with Castiel, holding his hand, he felt like everything was right in the world.

Adam was going to tease him mercilessly when he found out. Dean was only about two steps away from asking Castiel to move in with him and they’d hardly done more than introduce themselves. 

“I’m thirty-eight, will that be a problem?” Castiel asked. “I’ve been on my own for a long time and I’m set in my ways. I’m not about to give up everything in my life to be your dutiful Omega.”

“I’m thirty-five, so it’s not a problem. I just want to be with you, however that works” Dean said.

Castiel nodded thoughtfully. 

“How do you feel about pups?”

It felt liked a loaded question. They were mates, the biological drive to be together was there, but Dean knew if one of them wanted pups and the other didn’t, things were always going to painful, as both of them wouldn’t be able to have what they wanted.

He answered truthfully and hoped Castiel felt the same way. 

“I want them,” he said. 

Castiel smiled. 

“Me too.”

Dean let out the breath he’d been holding, relieved. As far as he was concerned, that was all he needed to know. Everything else - what Castiel did for a living, what his last name was, if he prefered a spring or summer wedding - could be left for later. They were going to have a whole life together. They had time to find out everything. 

Slowly, gently, Dean let go of Castiel’s hand. 

“So, shopping for a niece then? How old?” He asked.

“A newborn. I know she can’t uses these for the time being, but the colors are pleasing. I think she’ll get a lot of pleasure from playing when them once her fine motor skills develop.” 

“Sounds like you know quite a lot about this stuff,” Dean said. 

“I’ve been doing some reading. This is my brother’s first pup. I’m rather excited.” 

Castiel’s eyes were bright, his smile wide as he talked about the pup. He looked so happy, Dean couldn’t help but share in that. 

“Yeah? That’s awesome.”

“My brother is mated to an Omega who is far too young for him,” Castiel said, turning the red block over in his hands. “I’m worried that it’s...I know this isn’t fair...but I worry it’s because of the money. My brother is rather well off.” 

“Yeah, well, he wouldn’t be the first Omega to mate because there was something more on the table than a life bond,” Dean muttered.

“I hardly even know the boy,” Castel said. “It’s simply that family matters. I don’t want my brother hurt and I don’t want this pup to have been conceived for the wrong reasons.”

“Whatever the reasons, the pup is here now. You’ve got to love her.”

“I do, I love her very much. I almost wish she was my own,” Castiel said solemnly. 

“I hear you on that. My niece is so cute, I think about smuggling her home with me under my jacket.” 

“You won’t have to when we have one of our own,” Castiel said. 

Dean felt his mouth go dry. The thought of Castiel - his sweet, wonderful Omega - pregnant with his pup, wiped all other thoughts from his mind. He had to bite his lip to stop from asking Castiel to move in with him that very moment. They could get started on making a pup of their own straight away. Dean wouldn’t have minded.

“When you’re finished here, do you want to go grab a cup of coffee?” he asked.

Castiel smiled at him.

“I’d like that a lot.” 

***

Dean was buzzing with excitement. His whole world had fallen into place in one afternoon and he couldn’t be happier. He wasn’t rushing into mating, he and Castiel were taking things slow, but Dean knew he’d found the one. No other Omega would ever compare to Castiel. 

He wished he could spend Christmas with Castiel, but when they’d talked about it, they’d both regretfully realised they had family plans they couldn’t break. They could still spend New Years together, and Dean was looking forward to that, but for the moment he was looking forward to seeing his family and telling them all about the beautiful Omega he’d met. 

He drove through the streets, enjoying the smoothness of the drive on Christmas morning. Everyone else was inside and there were no other cars out on the street to bother him. It was a great day to crank the music up loud, take the longest route he could find, and just be happy to be alive. He was in love and everything was wonderful.

All too soon, Dean found himself turning down the street that led to Adam and Michael’s house. A little of his good mood soured as he thought about spending time with Michael and his family. It was worth it to see Sam, Adam, and the pup, but Dean still wasn’t completely pleased. 

He pulled into the driveway and parked, turning off the ignition. For a few minutes, he sat in silence, looking out at the big house. It was too big, ostentatious. The fact that Michael had lived here on his own before meeting Adam just reminded Dean that Michael was a guy with too much money. He’d been living in a house that could house a whole family before he even had one.

Dean sighed, reached for the bag of presents in the back seat and climbed out of the car. He jogged up to the front door and pressed the doorbell. 

A few moments later, Adam opened the door, smiling widely.

“Hey, Dean!” 

“Hi kid,” Dean said, reaching to wrap his arms around his little brother in a big bear hug. 

Adam smelled so happy. He smelt like home, warm and soft with a milky undertone. Dean had to admit that his brother was displaying all the signs of being a contented Omega. He was mated, he had a pup, and life was going well for him. 

“Fatherhood agrees with you,” he said.

“Yeah, I know,” Adam said, grinning. “I can’t even believe it.” 

“So, where is the little lovebug? I got her presents.”

“In the living room. Michael’s brother is here too. Play nice,” Adam said, stepping back a bit to let Dean into the house. 

“I can do that,” Dean said, grinning widely. 

He’d play nice with anyone if it meant getting to spend time with his niece. 

Dean headed on into the house, towards the living room. He didn’t need Adam to tell him where to go, he’d been a regular guest since the pup was born. 

Dean opened the door to the living room and the wonderful, familiar scent of Castiel washed over him. 

He stood in the doorway, staring in shocked at his beautiful Omega, sitting under the Christmas tree with Adam’s pup cuddled tight in his arms. 

“Cas,” he said, shocked. “You’re Michael’s brother?”

Castiel looked up, and the shock was equally written across his face. 

“Dean? This is your niece?” 

“You two have met, then?” Adam asked. 

Dean hadn’t even noticed that his brother had come up behind him. He’d been too focused on Castiel, on the picture of perfect domesticity that was Castiel underneath the Christmas tree with a pup in his arms. It was everything Dean wanted for the two of them. 

He struggled to make his mouth work, to answer Adam’s question. The distraction of Castiel was still impossibly strong. 

“Yesterday. Shopping. He’s...we’re...um, we’re mates.”

“Yes,” Castiel agreed. “We’re just taking things slowly. We were planning to spend New Years together.” 

“You and Cas?” Adam said, a bemused smile crossing his face. He pushed past Dean, into the living room, and collected his pup from Castiel’s arms. “I guess it just runs in the family then, must be a compatible chemistry. Do you think we should warn Sam before he arrives or just stand back and watch the fireworks?” 

“Fireworks,” Dean said, but he wasn’t really paying attention. He was still staring at Castiel.

“I’m going to put Kate to bed. She needs a nap before everyone else arrives,” Adam said. “And you two can have some time to talk?” 

He left before either of them agreed to it, shutting the door behind him. 

Dean took a deep breath. He was knocked off balance by Castiel, by the revelation that this was Michael’s brother. He hated Michael. And, Dean remembered feeling a stab of protectiveness for his family, Castiel wasn’t terribly keen on Adam. He’d basically accused him of being a gold digger. 

“You know, you don’t have to worry about Adam’s intentions. He’s not after your brother’s money.”

Castiel’s eyes widen, a look of horror crossing his face.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that, I didn’t know…”

“That he was my brother? Yeah. Just so we’re on the same page, I’m not exactly Michael’s biggest fan either.”

Castiel nodded, eyes downcast. 

“It just happened so quickly.”

“That’s what I said!” Dean said triumphantly, forgetting to be upset. He had someone else on his side. “They moved so fast, you can’t blame us for suspecting the worst!”

Castiel stood up gracefully. His eyes were still downcast, but Dean could see a smile on his face.

“But now that I know Adam is your brother, I feel I can be a little more trusting.”

Dean took a few steps towards him, closing the gap between them. 

“And I’ll try to like Michael since he’s related to you.”

There was only a small sliver of space between them now, and Dean covered that completely by pulling Castiel into his arms. Castiel looked up at him, eyes bright and smile wide, and leaned in to nuzzle against his neck, scenting Dean. 

“You smell so good,” he whispered.

Dean pulled back just enough so he could look at Castiel, then he kissed him.

It was a wonderful first kiss. There were fireworks. Castiel’s fingers gripped the front of his shirt and Dean found himself growling into the kiss, wanting more than just kisses, wanting everything.

When they broke away, they were both panting.

“You know what?” Dean said. “Adam might be right. You Novaks are pretty irresistible.” 

“Does that mean we’re not taking things slow?” Castiel asked.

Dean hesitated. He wanted so much from Castiel, but if Castiel wasn’t ready then he would hold back. He’d wait as long as Castiel needed. 

“Do you want to wait?”

“No,” Castiel said, shaking his head firmly. “I don’t care if this is too fast. I know you’re my mate, Dean. I love you.”

“Yeah? I love you too,” Dean said.

It surprised him that the words were so easy to say, but when it came to Castiel he just knew. They were true mates and there was no need to hold back, to pretend that what was happening between them wasn’t real. They needed each other and staying apart wasn’t an option.

Castiel smiled and tilted his head to the side, baring his throat to Dean.

“Mark me,” he said. 

Dean was only too happy to sink his teeth into the soft skin and leave behind a mark that would prove to the world that Castiel was his. 

Castiel - his mate - was the best Christmas gift Dean could ever have received, and he hadn’t even known how much he wanted him until he arrived. Now everything in his life felt right. 

He drew back, admiring his handiwork. No one who looked at Castiel would miss that mark. They’d all know that Castiel had a mate, a mate who was devoted to him, who adored him. 

The scent rolling off Castiel in waves - happy, warm scent with a hint of spice - told him just how much Castiel had enjoyed being marked. Dean licked his lips, shifting slightly as other parts of his anatomy started to perk up, responding to Castiel’s delicious scent. 

Castiel gently touched his neck, smiling at Dean.

“Do you think Adam would care if we mated in one of the guest bedrooms?” he asked.

“If he does, my car is parked out in the driveway and it’s got a big backseat,” Dean said, grabbing hold of Castiel’s hand and tugging him towards the door.


End file.
